variable player powers

Rex: Final Days of an Empire, a reimagined version of Dune set in Fantasy Flight's Twilight Imperium universe, is a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare in which 3-6 players take control of great interstellar civilizations, competing for dominance of the galaxy's crumbling imperial city. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire, while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy, deception, and tactical mastery.

In Rex: Final Days of an Empire, players vie for control of vital locations across a sprawling map of the continent-sized Mecatol City. Only by securing three key locations (or more, when allied with other factions) can a player assert dominance over the heart of a dying empire.

Unfortunately, mustering troops in the face of an ongoing Sol blockade is difficult at best (unless, of course, you are the Federation of Sol or its faithless ally, the Hacan, who supply the blockading fleet). Savvy leaders must gather support from the local populace, uncover hidden weapon caches, and acquire control over key institutions. Mechanically, this means players must lay claim to areas that provide influence, which is then "spent" to (among other things) smuggle military forces through the orbiting Sol blockade. Those forces will be needed to seize the key areas of the city required to win the game. From the moment the first shot is fired, players must aggressively seek the means by which to turn the conflict to their own advantage.

While the great races struggle for supremacy in the power vacuum of a dead emperor, massive Sol warships execute their devastating bombardments of the city below. Moving systematically, the Federation of Sol's fleet of warships wreaks havoc on the planet's surface, targeting great swaths of the game board with their destructive capabilities. Only the Sol's own ground forces have forewarning of the fleet's wrath; all others must seek shelter in the few locations with working defensive shields...or be obliterated in the resulting firestorm.

Although open diplomacy and back-door dealmaking can often mitigate the need for bloodshed, direct combat may prove inevitable. When two or more opposing forces occupy the same area, a battle results. Each player's military strength is based on the sum total of troops he is willing to expend, along with the strength rating of his chosen leader. A faction's leaders can therefore be vitally important in combat...but beware! One or more of your Leaders may secretly be in the employ of an enemy, and if your forces in combat are commanded by such a traitor, defeat is all but assured. So whether on the field of battle or the floor of the Galactic Council, be careful in whom you place your trust.

All this, along with a host of optional rules and additional variants, means that no two games of Rex: Final Days of an Empire will play exactly alike. Contributing further to replayability is the game's asymmetrical faction abilities, each of which offer a unique play experience.

Reimplements:

Dune

Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run.

Admit it. You love it.

This award-winning card game, designed by Steve Jackson, captures the essence of the dungeon experience... with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking. Wield the Staff of Napalm... or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon...

And it's illustrated by John Kovalic! Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while they're laughing, you can steal their stuff.

Other

Part of the Munchkin series.

Munchkin is a satirical card game based on the clichés and oddities of Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games. Each player starts at level 1 and the winner is the first player to reach level 10. Players can acquire familiar D&D style character classes during the game which determine to some extent the cards they can play.

There are two types of cards - treasure and encounters. Each turn the current players 'kicks down the door' - drawing an encounter card from the deck. Usually this will involve battling a monster. Monsters have their own levels and players must try and overcome it using the levels, weapons and powers they have acquired during the game or run away. Other players can chose to help the player or hinder by adding extra monsters to the encounter. Defeating a monster will usually result in drawing treasure cards and acquiring levels. Being defeated by a monster results in "bad stuff" which usually involves losing levels and treasure.

In May 2010, Steve Jackson Games made the "big announcement." Many rules and cards were changed. See The Great 2010 Munchkin Changeover for details. Of note to Munchkin fans, the Kneepads of Allure card, which had been removed in the 14th printing, was added back to the game but modified to be less powerful.

Sequels:

The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin
Munchkin Apocalypse
Munchkin Axe Cop
Munchkin Bites!
Munchkin Booty
Munchkin Conan
Munchkin Cthulhu
Munchkin Fu
Munchkin Impossible
Munchkin Legends
Munchkin Pathfinder
Munchkin Zombies
Star Munchkin
Super Munchkin

A cooperative game of adventure for 1-5 players set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

It is named after the book series by the same name recounting the adventures of the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends.

Designed for 1-5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative game play. Players explore the game world, which is built during the game by laying out tiles, using ready-made player characters and encountering enemies with corresponding miniatures. Encounters are generated by drawing cards and resolved using a D20 die. All players win together, depending on the scenario, by escaping, saving others or overcoming a threat.

Scandaroon is an engaging and quizzical card game for 3 or 4 players played over four rounds. Players are dealt a hand of cards each round, with which they will compete to create their own high scoring row, while seeking to minimize their opponents’ scores.

Players are awarded victory points for specific achievements during the game, such as getting the highest score in a single round, and victory points may change as the game develops.

Scandaroon has a scoreboard, a set of wooden markers for each player and a pack of special cards, each of which has a scoring value, a suit, and an effect or ability that will modify the scoring values of other cards.

"Scimitar Lusts To Take A Life Away
Subtle Strength Is Gained 'Neath Crescent Moon
Courtly Intrigues Follow Turbans' Play
Cross-Tiles Their Gifts Bestows In Scandaroon"
(extract from 'The Rubiyat of Th’ Noble Lady yon')

Panzer General: Russian Assault is a sequel to the hit title Panzer General: Allied Assault and is a quick playing game of WWII tactical / operational combat using a unique blend of cards, miniatures, and a board game.

New to the Panzer General game system with this sequel are 80 plastic miniatures depicting tanks, infantry and artillery. There are also over 100 new Action Cards, Units, and Abilities.

The game provides 12 solo and two-player scenarios depicting combat situations between the German and Russian forces in such battles as Stalingrad, Kursk, Moscow, Leningrad and many others.

The game will support both solo and 2-Player gameplay.

Published by Petroglyph and under license from Ubisoft®.